Where did all that stuff come from?

As a digital nomad, you are kind of forced to own not a lot of things, because you have to carry around what you possess. At least in my case. Of course, some nomads still have a home-base where they can have a lot of stuff, but we aren’t talking about them here, so that doesn’t matter.

So, back to me. When I started traveling, I sold everything I wasn’t going to take with me, gave a box of winter-clothes to my mum to store and of I went.

What at first seems unbelievable and undoable to a lot of people is in fact very easy and very liberating. Of course, it feels weird at first, but you get used to not buying everything you think looks good and not wearing a new outfit every day of the month. And you start to like it.

And soon you don’t get why you ever were like that and had to own so much stuff. And had to buy new stuff so often. And the whole concept just feels so wrong and so far away.

So you are cured of this disease and are now a better version of yourself.

But there might be a time in your life, yes, I am still talking about my life, when you, or in this case I, was living at one place for several weeks. In total 3 months. And it was a lovely, fully furnished apartment.

And very soon after moving in and feeling like having my own place again I caught myself looking at stuff differently.

When I was walking through the supermarket to buy groceries, I was also looking at the other things like kitchenware, comfy blankets, and lovely bed linen.

It is amazing and frustrating and fascinating and disturbing and so much more. It is just crazy how fast you can fall back into old habits. Into a life that you thought you left behind you and you gladly did so.

I decided to sell all my stuff and own just kind of the minimum I needed. And I really loved it.

But then, just days after kind of settling down again I had to realize that the big shift in my life could just have been temporary if I wasn’t paying attention.

That’s how easily we are able to fall back into old habits and old routines. And that’s not just with owning stuff like it was in my case. It’s with everything.

Want to change your diet and eat healthier? Watch yourself until it becomes a really embedded habit and even then, look out for the moments you might slip again.

Want to go for a run every other day? Be careful with skipping just one day here and there, these days might pile up.

Want to start a new business or a new hobby or a new relationship? Get clear on what you want and don’t want and always remind yourself.

But don’t get frustrated when you fail sometimes. That’s normal. And that’s even an excellent way to get to going even better.

And remember. You don’t have to do it 100%. 80% is just fine. No need for perfection. Just find what you want and do it the best you can.